Diageo's Responsibility Campaign Features Stumbling Drunks

'Think How You Drink' Ads in Europe Direct Viewers to Alcohol Calculator

As anyone who has had a few too many at their local pub knows, drinking can be a contact sport. Ever tried walking home after a few shots of whiskey chased by some beer? The result might look a little something like the first ad of Diageo's new "Think How You Drink" online campaign debuting in Western Europe, which seeks to inject a little fun in responsibility messaging.

"With this video we are deliberately using humor to catch people's attention," Malcolm D'Sa, Diageo's marketing innovation director for Western Europe, said in a statement. "Responsible drinking campaigns in the past have tended either to preach or to scare" he added. "We know that drinking to excess is a serious issue -- but our primary concern is to be effective. The message, that drinking can have harmful consequences, is still in there and it is a strong message. We've just approached it in a different way."

The campaign, by Marmalade, features actors re-enacting some pretty painful and embarrassing drunken walks, such as "the power nap," in which a man falls asleep while riding an escalator.

At the end, viewers are directed to the marketer's "Ask Dave" alcohol calculator, which is aimed at helping consumers keep better track of their drinking. Users submit their age, location and drink total. In return, they are given some perspective on just how much they've had. For instance, a 40-year-old man in The U.K., putting back four vodka drinks would need to watch the "Titanic" movie 1.2 times before the alcohol leaves his system.

The campaign is rolling out in Ireland, Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands. Then "we'll review after that to see where else we would want to take it," a Diageo spokeswoman said.